News & Info.

Let Mother Earth Speak Release Party in Japan

Discography

Biography

1937, Apr.12:
He was born at Leech Lake Reservation, Minnesota as a Ojibwa Indian (Anishinabe).

1942 (Age:5) - 1952 (15):
He had to be at Boarding Schools forcefully.

1954 (17) - 1957 (20):
He was in Air Force in Japan, lived with Machiko.

1957 (20) - 1966 (29):
He lived with Janette & children in Minneapolis.

1966 (29) - 1968 (31):
He was in jail and had his eyes open to Human Rights.

1968, July (31):
He co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) with George Mitchell & Clyde Bellecourt in Minneapolis. Established it to protect the traditional ways of Indian people and to engage in legal cases protecting treaty rights of Natives, such as hunting and fishing, trapping, and wild rice farming.

1970 (33):
He supported the occupation of Mount Rushmore of Lee Brightman (Lakota).

1972 (34-35):
Mar, He led the demonstration against the murder of Raymond Yellow Thunder in Gordon, Nebraska. AIM Song was born then. He met Kamook Nichols. Oct, He assisted in the organization of AIM's "Trail of Broken Treaties", a caravan across the U.S. to Washington D.C., and occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

1973, Feb-May (35-36):
He led a protest in Custer, South Dakota against the murder of Wesley Bad Heart Bull. And led the occupation of Wounded Knee for 71 days, which received national attention. He escape to Canada until May, surrendered in South Dakota. As a result of his involvement, Banks and 300 others were arrested and faced trial.

1974 (37):
He cooperated with FBI for Patty Hearst Rescue.
Sep., He was acquitted of the Wounded Knee charges.

1975, July (38):
He was convicted about the riot at Custer. Refusing the prison term, Banks went underground to California.

1976 (39) - 1983 (46):
He received amnesty in California by then Governor Jerry Brown, who refused to extradite him to South Dakota. He also received financial support from actor Marlon Brando.
Banks earned an associate's degree and taught at DQU, a Native American-controlled institute, where he became the first American Indian chancellor.

1978 (40-41):
He organized "The Longest walk" (San Francisco – D.C.) and the first Sacred Run (The message of "Land, Life and Peace") from Davis to Los Angeles with Bill Wahpepah. The Longest Walk defeated all Anti-Indian Bills.

1980 (42-43):
He organized "The Long for Survival" with Lee Brightman. He has been supported by Katherine Cole for next 2 decades.

1983 (45):
Governor Brown left office, Banks received sanctuary from the Onondaga Nation in upstate New York.

1984 (46-47):
He left Onondaga to surrender to law enforcement officials in South Dakota and served 18 months in prison.

1985 (48):
When he was released, he worked as a drug and alcohol counselor on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

1986 (49):
He organized the Great Jim Thorpe Longest Run from New York to Los Angeles. Which was 2nd Sacred Run.

1988 (51):
3rd Sacred Run with Ainu People (Onondaga-San Francisco, Hiroshima- Hokkaido in Japan). He received "Asahi Nonfiction Award" with Yuri Morita for "Sacred Soul" which was published in Japan. Floyd Red Crow Westerman & Thomas Banyacya went too.

1989 (52):
The grave robbers in Uniontown, Kentucky were halted in their digging for artifacts in American Indian grave sites. He was called in to organize the reburial ceremonies. His activities resulted in Kentucky and Indiana passing strict legislation against grave desecration.

1993 (56):
The musical release "Still Strong" with Narada Michael Walden, featuring Banks' original work as well as traditional Native American songs.
Banks went to Japan with Michael for the concerts in 1995.
7th Sacred Run (Australia & New Zealand)

1994 (57):
He led "Walk for Justice" for Leonard Peltier.

1995 (58):
8th Sacred Run(Hokkaido – Hiroshima in Japan)

1996 (59):
9th Sacred Run (LA – Atlanta) with Aveda. Book "Wisdom of Wind" with Seitaro Kuroda was published.

2004, May (67):
He joined the party of Sumida 55th Anniversary in Japan. Book "Ojibwa Warrior" was published in U.S. 3rd Yamamoto Cup in Leech Lake. 3rd Yamamoto Cup Winners' Trip to Japan. His eco story was on TV in Japan.

2010 (73):
Aug., 6th MET visited at South. 9th Yamamoto Cup in Minneapolis. 9th Yamamoto Cup Winners' Trip to Japan. Oct., "One Thousand Drums Event" at COP10 in Nagoya with Kitaro, Publishing Party of "Ojibwa Warrior" & Screening of "A Good Day To Die" with Masaou Yamamoto & Reiko Koshikawa & Kirilo'la' in Tokyo. Nov., "A Good Day To Die" received the Best Documentary Award at San Francisco American Indian Film Festival.

Press Release

Domo Music Group To Release Groundbreaking Project, LET MOTHER EARTH SPEAK Featuring The Wisdom of Native American Activist DENNIS BANKS with Music by Grammy Award Winning KITARO - Debut Single, PEACE To Be Released on 9/11

Domo Music Group presents world-renowned Native American activist Dennis Banks as he joins forces with Golden-Globe and Grammy Award-Winning artist Kitaro in celebration of our Earth in this new CD, LET MOTHER EARTH SPEAK. The project contains a message of international peace intertwined with stories and life lessons from Dennis Banks featuring the musical sensitivity and prowess of Kitaro.

With a focus on world and inner-peace, in "Let Mother Earth Speak", each song begins with thoughtful spoken words from Dennis with Kitaro providing the musical accompaniment. Following Dennis' narrative, Native American drums and culturally correct instruments begin as Dennis sings a traditional Native American Indian song. A new featured and beautiful composition, PEACE with music by Kitaro heads the inspired track listing and will be released with the entire album on September 11, 2012.

The unique mix of Kitaro's music with Native American instruments along with the insight of Dennis Banks makes Let Mother Earth Speak one of the most unique marriages of musical and spoken word driven projects of this or any year. It's a journey we all should take and a message to which we all should carefully listen.